The Prophecy of Ithil
by MagicMysticFantasy
Summary: An elleth with a thirst for knowledge and a keen memory is sent by the Valar to the elves of Imaldris. After joining the Fellowship on their journey, her ability to learn is put to the test. She must learn fast or perish on this journey. Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. Please review!
1. Prologue

Prologue

Long ago, the leader of Imaldris, Lord Elrond, received a dream. In this dream, the voices of the Valar spoke to him of a child and a prophecy. He was to go to the nearby woods, and find the young girl and bring her back with him. The Valar told Elrond that she was half elf, but would say no more of her lineage. They breathed the words of a prophecy in his ear before he awoke.

Frantic, the Elf Lord wrote down the location of the young elleth, and the details of the dream. However, the only words of the prophecy that he could remember as the dream faded were: _she will be the downfall of evil._ Upon finishing his account, Elrond set out into the forest to retrieve the girl.

What he found was not what he had expected, however. He found a baby, wrapped in silver blankets. He picked her up and she opened her eyes. Elrond jolted, for her eyes were of two separate colors. One was as silver as the stars and moon, while the other was as dark as night. She looked at him knowingly, and uttered no sound, but simply smiled as if knowing she was safe.

Years passed, and Elrond raised the child as his own. They called her Ithil after the moon, for she was found in the moonlight and bore its light in her gaze. Ithil had an unmatched talent with knowledge. She was a linguist, and by the end of two centuries was fluent in any tongue. She spent her free time in the palace libraries, studying and remembering the words she read. Upon investigation, it was shown that after reading a page once, she could recall the words exactly, no matter how long ago she read them.

Seeing her love for knowledge, Elrond asked the court Scholars to mentor her. They accepted willingly, for they had come to love the girl with her quiet nature and keen mind. Centuries passed, and she would often travel to other libraries across Middle Earth, gathering knowledge that could then be recorded in books for the people of Imaldris to read. She travelled far, and was soon well know by many people as the Ambassador of Knowledge. The name she came to be known by was Hodoer, or Wise One.

She studied for many more centuries, and travelled far and wide. Year after year the prophecy grew closer to being fulfilled. A ring was found far underground that set in motion events that would lead to the prophecy's passing. And it would pass, Elrond knew, for it had been decreed by the Valar themselves.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The Lord of Imaldris wandered the palace halls deep in thought. His adopted daughter, Ithil, was expected to be back three days ago. The fact that she had not yet arrived by midday was rather worrying for him. He had no desire to lose her, for she was very close to his heart. A distant horn sounded, announcing the arrival of horses. Elrond let out a breath of relief, for it could not be anyone but her.

He picked up his pace and rounded a corner where he encountered the Prince of Mirkwood. Legolas had eagerly joined the Fellowship, and was preparing to leave in three days. Elrond hoped with every cell in his body that Ithil would not request to join the Fellowship as well, and that the Valar wouldn't decree that she must.

"My lord, is everything all right?" The young price looked puzzled as to why the regal leader of Rivendell was almost running through the halls. Elrond nodded his assent before continuing on to the courtyard by the gates, dimly aware that Legolas had followed him.

He came upon a group of five horses. Three were various shades of brown and stood grazing. The other two were a black mare with green eyes who stood gazing at her rider and a white stallion who tossed his head proudly. The stallion belonged to the leader of the guards in the group, and the mare belonged to Ithil.

The riders were laughing freely as they conversed and unloaded their horses. Elrond took a moment to take in the differences from when they had left eight months ago. The horses were adorned with cloth of vibrant colors, and their tack was lined with golden thread and silver décor. Their elven riders were slightly darker in color then when they had left, but it was his daughter who drew his eyes most.

Her dark caramel hair glinted with new streaks of gold that were formed by the sun. Her wide multicolored eyes glinted with life and mirth, and laughter sprung easily from her lips. She was wearing a dark blue dress formed from a cloth wrapped around her, and gold bangles covered her wrists and ankles. She was wearing brown sandals that accented her delicate feet, and showed off the finery displayed there. Her guards were dressed similarly, and they drew a crowd of curious onlookers.

"Who are they, my lord? Foreign travelers?" Elrond jumped slightly and noticed that the members of the Fellowship had been drawn out of the palace by the commotion. He shook his head, smiling at his daughter as she removed the saddlebags from her horse.

"No indeed, my friends. My other daughter has returned from her travels." Most of the Fellowship looked surprised, as many had not known the Lord of Imaldris had a second daughter, and a fourth child.

Ithil looked up from her task and noticed her father watching her. She dropped her bundle of brightly colored rolls of cloth and ran forward laughing.

"Ada!"she cried as she hugged him. He spun her around and held her at arm's length to examine his daughter.

"Ithil, my how you've changed! Did you enjoy your journey?" he inquired her as she grinned up at him.

"Oh yes! The druids of the Southern Harad desert are wonderful people! They have a fascinating culture too. Do you realize that their culture developed for centuries without any outside influence? No one has had contact with them for years. At first they believed us to be deities or even angels, but once I grasped enough of their language I explained that we were merely travelers looking for stories, scrolls, and books. After that, they were thrilled to help. They shared so much with me that it will take years to write down properly!"

Elrond laughed at Ithil's enthusiasm. It always excited her to discover something no one else has before. He heard faint murmuring behind him and his daughter was startled out of her account. She shifted her gaze behind him suddenly and her eyes turned curious.

"Ada, what is a dwarf from Erebor, an Elf Prince from Mirkwood, four hobbits of the Shire, a Gondorian, and the Grey Wizard doing here?" she asked her eyes expertly scanning the group. They looked stunned at her knowledge of their origins, and a single voice broke through their midst.

"Aren't you forgetting someone Ithil, or did I simply turn invisible and not realize?" A man with dark hair strode forward smiling at the elf. Her eyes widened and her grin grew as she launched herself into his arms.

"Estel! What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in years!" Aragorn laughed and hugged her tightly.

"I'm here for a council that took place yesterday." he said and noticed the onlookers dispersing now that the original excitement was gone. " I'm to leave on a quest in three days time. But, more importantly, how were your travels?"

Ithil opened her mouth to reply, but the Gondorian cut her off abruptly. "Excuse me, but who are you? How do you know our origins?" Aragorn sent him a sharp look but was cut off by a look from Ithil.

"Peace, Aragorn. There is no harm in his asking." she turned to the rest of the group. "My name is Ithil, I am Lord Elrond's adopted daughter. I am more commonly known as the Ambassador of Knowledge, or Hodoer. Discerning your origins was simple. The dwarf smells of stone and wind, which leads me to Erebor, not Moria or other dwarf realms. The Elf Prince smells of evergreen pines which are only found in Mirkwood, and his clothing is of fine make, and he carries himself in a way only royals do.

"I heard the hobbits accents as they spoke amongst themselves, and placed it to the Shire, Hobbiton if I am not mistaken. The Gondorian wears the clothes typical of the country's people, and has the appearance that only they do. Finally, everyone knows Gandalf, for he does not seem to enjoy keeping to the shadows."

Ithil finished with a teasing glint in her eye as Gandalf smiled kindly at her. The rest of the Fellowship were impressed at her deduction, and the speed at which she did it. Elrond laughed at their expressions.

"Well, as you now know, this is Ithil. You have just seen firsthand how her mind works. The court Scholars love her, and she's helped fill Imaldris's libraries greatly. She has done much to be proud of."

Ithil grinned up at him. "Thank you, Ada. Now if you don't mind, I would like to finish untacking Tuilë, and then take a bath. I have travelled for a long time and am rather weary now." Elrond nodded his assent, and watched as Ithil walked back to her horse.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next morning, Elrond invited the Fellowship to join him and his family for their morning meal. Elrond, Arwen, Elrohir, and Ellandan sat at one end of the table. However, each member at the table noticed the empty seat next to Arwen and became curious.

"My friend," Gandalf began, "are we not missing one of your daughters?" Elrond looked up and saw their confusion. He smiled at them before responding.

"Yes, it appears so, however this is a common occurrence with Ithil. She will be in the palace library, no doubt starting to write down everything she has read and heard during her travels." He took a bite of his food as he finished.

"But sir, surely she cannot remember _everything_ she read and heard! That's impossible!" Merry burst out, unable to help himself. Arwen shook her head.

"It is not impossible, master hobbit. Ithil has a near- eidetic memory. This means that everything that she has read and been told she is able to remember exactly. It is quite a feat. If you wish for proof, you may join my father and me in visiting her."

"Your invitation is much appreciated, and I believe that most, if not all, of us shall accept your offer of your demonstration." Aragorn smiled softly at Arwen as he responded. She returned his smile, much to the displeasure of her father and the curiosity of the Fellowship.

The meal passed swiftly, and they soon were ready to pay Ithil a visit. They strolled through the corridors of the palace and came upon a pair of great doors. Arwen opened them, and each person who hadn't seen the library of Imaldris had their jaw drop in astonishment.

What they saw was a room so large you could barely see the ends. There were many shelves that reached the ceiling, and were full of books and scrolls, right up to the top. There were many elves carrying piles of reading materials, and they were dressed in the same white clothes. They saw one place a book in a specific place before moving on. Despite all the activity, it was nearly silent in the library.

"How did all of these end up here? Surely you were not given all of these records and writings." Legolas said incredulously. Elrond laughed softly and shook his head.

"Indeed not. This is the work of Ithil. She has spent millennia travelling to different cultures, cities, and lands gathering this information. We had a usual amount of information in the original library, which was of usual size. Once my daughter started bringing back information, we had to build this room. It took years, but this is the result.

"The people in white that you see are her followers. They seek to know as much as they can. They even have a name, the Knowledge Seekers. Ithil will send them out to various locations, and they will spend months there, learning a book by heart as they make copies. They bring the copies back, and they are added to this room."

An elleth came up to them. She was dressed in the white of the Knowledge Seekers, and had golden hair and the fair complexion of the elves. She smiled warmly at them. "My lord, lady, and friends. Is there anything I can help you find? Perhaps a history of Erebor for the dwarf? Or maybe an ancient spell book for the Grey Wizard?"

"You have dwarfish history in your eleven halls?" Gimli asked, surprised. The elleth smiled and laughed quietly, beckoning them to follow her as she led them to a section of the library.

"Of course, master dwarf. The Hodoer and her Seekers welcome any knowledge, regardless of where it comes from. This entire corner of the library is devoted to the dwarves. It is organized alphabetically by subject, and then by author." The Seeker smiled as they continued on to a large shelf.

"This, master wizard, is our magical history, spells, and magical theory. They are also some accounts of the Maiar. Those were very hard to find, however the Hodoer was able to recreate a copy for our library." Gandalf looked stunned, and ran his fingers over the spines of the books reverently.

"I may need to return once our journey is finished. I have missed the work of my people greatly. Unfortunately, we do not currently have the time for such indulgences, for we must plan ahead." At the wizard's words, the elleth looked saddened.

"Indeed, these are dark times. It is sad when people no longer are able to read. Reading is a way to learn many skills and ideas." Boromir scoffed at the Seeker's words. He picked up a tome with a green cover and held it up.

"You think _this_ will help someone survive? If so, you are incredibly mislead. No, the way of survival is through the sword." The rest of the Fellowship winced at his words. They expected the elleth to get angry or offended, but she simply smiled.

"You think because I am female and do not wield a weapon that I am incapable of defending myself. Very well. Attempt to hit me, with or without your sword. Do not lessen the blow because I am female." Boromir looked stunned, but with a nod of encouragement from the Seeker, he complied.

He swung, and she was no longer there so he stumbled. She ducked low, and whipped her leg across the ground. Her foot caught his legs and he crashed to the floor with a muffled thud. Boromir looked up to see the elleth's fist inches from his throat, and her face no longer kind, but hard and focused. As the group watched, her face melted back into a warm smile and she grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet.

"See? With practice I was able to learn this through scrolls that came from far east. The Hodoer does not wish her Seekers to be harmed in their pursuit of knowledge. Now," The woman said as she began walking, "let me lead you to her, for it is obvious she is the reason for your visit."

"Are you alright Boromir?" Legolas asked the Gondorian, putting a hand on his shoulder. Boromir irritably shrugged his hand off.

"Of course. It'll take more than a lady to injure me." He growled, stalking out of the library. Gandalf shook his head in disappointment.

"I did not believe his pride to be so easily injured. No matter, let us go see the Hodoer, I believe you will be enchanted by her as so many are." The wizard followed the girl as she went through a pair of doors to a side room.

The contrast was immediately noticeable. Where the library had been quiet and peaceful, this room was loud and chaotic. There were Knowledge Seekers running to and fro. There were desks where pages were being bound together, and where elves were writing slowly and meticulously. The elleth leading them showed them to a corner where they came upon two desks and three elves.

One was a male and the other two were female. The two dressed in white where writing on parchment. The third was a maid balanced on her hands as the female in white drew her position. The maid was speaking to the male, and he was writing down what she was saying exactly.

"Hello Ithil. I see you have the Knowledge Seekers busy." Elrond said as they came closer. Neither of the Seekers looked up from their work, but Ithil looked up briefly.

"Hello Ada, Arwen. Hello friends. I'll be with you in a moment." They waited until the female nodded her assent that she was finished, and Ithil stood on her feet again. She turned to the golden- haired elleth who led them there and said, "Ah Neilím. Good to see you. Thank you for leading them to me. Perhaps you can lead whoever wishes to read to topics they are interested in?"

The girl replied with, "Yes Hodoer, of course." She then turned and all but two of the Fellowship followed. The five remaining people who stood before her were Elrond, Arwen, Gandalf, Legolas, and Aragorn. Ithil let out a breath and smiled.

"A good morning to each of you. As you can see, we are up to our ears in work." The three who hadn't been in the library before looked thoroughly impressed. Aragorn then stepped forward.

"What is this place?" Ithil laughed slightly before gesturing to the rest of the room.

"Yes, this must seem strange. This is where the Hodoer does her work." she turned back to them. "Welcome to my workshop."


End file.
